1. Technical Field
The field relates to non-lethal missiles for practice, controlling crowds and subduing individuals, and more particularly to non-pyrotechnic grenade simulators and stun grenades.
2. Description of the Art
Stun grenades are typically hand thrown missiles which include a small pyrotechnic charge to create a flash of light and noise. A common factor in injuries caused by stun, diversionary and practice grenades used by the military for training and police for subduing suspects and controlling crowds has been the pyro-technic charge. With any pyro-technic device there is always a potential for fire resulting from their use.
Non-pyrotechnic grenade type devices are known, including the “Thumper TG6” training grenade sold by Airsoft World Ltd. of the United Kingdom. This device utilizes compressed carbon dioxide to rupture a burst diaphragm to produce a load noise.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,108 for a Non-Lethal Flash Grenade provides a transparent housing enclosing an array of flash lamps and an ignition circuit for activating a first, centrally located lamp in the array with the remaining array lamps being sympathetically activated in response to flash of the centrally located lamp.